Urban Life: The Little things that matter

Living the urban life comes with its daily challenges for many. From travel in crowded trains and other public means of transport, to achieving a work-life balance, or just simply raising children in urban communities, one has to be fully engaging and equipped to make good one’s time.

Whilst waiting on the train platform this early Monday morning, with my two daughters, on our way to school, I observed a young mother struggling with a rather huge buggy, trying to find a space on the platform, as it was quite packed with commuters. Heaving and puffing, she looked out of breath, obviously from being in a hurry as not to miss the train.

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Inside the Mind of a Male Single Parent – Lifestyle choices

Gosh! It’s 6am and the alarm clock has just gone off. You struggle to get your butt off the bed and reach out to wear your robe. Suddenly you realise you haven’t done your daily press-up ritual. You drop down on all fours and start counting, like a dazed man in a trance, one two three four five six seven. You give up! That’s about how far you can go today.

Robe on, you glide to the kitchen, reaching out to pour yourself a cuppa from last night’s brew, realising the coffee is dead cold as a witch’s tit in a brass bra.

Hands clasped on your head, still nursing the hangover from last night’s drinking-fest, you reach out for the painkiller and wished it was still the holidays.

As you sip that warmed-up leftover coffee, you hear a faint voice just below your waist saying ‘daddy, good morning’, and all of a sudden, your world lights up.

Sounds familiar?

As a single parent, having a lifestyle that satisfies both you and your children/child is very important in ensuring a balance. It is crucial building a routine, such as having a catch-up with a friend over coffee, spending time at the gym, running, reading some new books, writing or doing anything that catches your interest.

If you work from home, do try to set yourself daily ‘accomplishment’ targets and stick with them. Have some activities in-between work such as putting your feet up and listening to some music. For the office lads, don’t be a bore. It’s no pleasure having a lad in the office with a look that screams ‘run far away from me, I’m not in a very good mood today’. Nobody wants a stick-in-the-mud kinda guy around the office. Be a team player and you just might bag yourself that highly sought-after dinner date 😉.

Having a lifestyle that satisfies both you and your children/child can be highly rewarding for everyone. Choose activities you all can enjoy and while at it, remember you live everyday, so make good use of every moment.